When we celebrate Men’s Day or Women’s Day in India, why do the conversations always revolve around the middle class and upper class? Recently, there has been some token mention of “poor women” — but even then, they’re hardly part of the mainstream story. But what about poor men? We live in a society that is built on the invisibility of the poor, despite the fact that nearly 70% of India lives in poverty, and over 80 crore people rely on government support just to eat every day. We don’t recognize their struggles, even though they are the ones who keep the country functioning. They are the plumbers, electricians, construction workers, drivers, farmers, and sanitation workers. They fix our homes, build our roads and bridges, clean our sewage, and keep our water, electricity, and food systems running. If these men stopped working — cities would collapse in days. We celebrate soldiers for protecting our land and wealth — but what about the men who protect our daily life? The men who protect us from disease by cleaning drains, Who build the homes we sleep in, Who deliver the food we eat, Who risk their lives on scaffolding so that our cities can shine? We hear that “men hold 80% of the wealth” and “85% of parliament” but which men are we talking about? Certainly not the men driving autos, carrying bricks, laying cables, or cleaning gutters. We talk as if all men have power — but men are not one group. Men are not a homogeneous identity. So let’s ask: Who are the men sending other men to wars? Who are the men demanding 70-hour work weeks? Who are the men deciding which issues deserve research and which don’t? Who are the men talking about unity — yet never uniting the workers, farmers, and laborers? Who are the men who refuse to listen — even when solutions already exist? The truth is: some men hold power. But most men hold burden, responsibility, and silence. Not all men are privileged. Most men are just surviving. Most men are invisible. And I fail to understand what Men’s Day or Women’s Day are really about.
Yash PratapI see a collective lack of will in the society for desiring education for all. It works for the upwardly mobile population to keep a portion of society outside education as it keeps them relatively prosperous and able to afford their labour at low rates. The govt is only echoing their sentiments and closing govt schools in hordes. I don't remember when I last read a good story about huge chunk of population coming out of poverty or regarding improvement in school education without doubts of data massaging.
Yash PratapInclusion and identity are oxymorons. Identity by definition means exclusion of a set of people. If you are looking at a Venn diagram identity can never be the universe. I will rather believe in annihilation of identity, in some great man's words.
Need equality at Every level regardless of gender, religion, caste. Nothing comes with these packages of gender, religion and caste. Equality among all gender equal access to infrastructure, education etc. We always talk about men, women and forget about other genders. They did not have basic acceptance in our so called society.
Anoushka SharmaThanks for reading, I believe that Men’s Day and Women’s Day are mostly agents of capitalism, especially in the context of India, where 80% of people don’t even know that such days exist as they don’t live in mainstream cities, and they serve to wipe the memory of our real struggles, such as Independence Day and Republic Day.
Yash PratapYes can be said so. Capitalism do work towards controlling awareness about the real issues, helps them retain their power. Iron law of Oligarchy and power dynamics at it's play.
Yash Pratap
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https://www.linkedin.com/posts/yashp2411_iwd25-corporate-india-activity-7304092938756599808-0GYR
Pawan Sakkarwal
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I wrote on startups, angel investing and access to education in context of 95% of India
Part1 : Angel investors who are interested in solving for 95% of India.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/yashp2411_indianangelinvestors-solving4realindia-difficultquestions-activity-7393667031688073216-AS2v?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&rcm=ACoAACxrlNsBn9c2b7b2lZ8UK2ckDiW-YTjaB0I
Part 2 : Who can write a defensible business plan because it requires access to high quality business education.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/yashp2411_anyone-can-write-a-business-plan-but-writing-activity-7394351624644857857--6_1?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&rcm=ACoAACxrlNsBn9c2b7b2lZ8UK2ckDiW-YTjaB0I
Pawan Sakkarwal
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https://www.linkedin.com/posts/yashp2411_i-still-struggle-to-understand-what-india-activity-7394471132529246209-O8U_
I still struggle to understand what India really is. At first glance, this seems like a simple question. But the deeper I think about it — through history, politics, and identity — the more… | Yash Pratap | 31 comments
I still struggle to understand what India really is. At first glance, this seems like a simple question. But the deeper I think about it — through history, politics, and identity — the more complex it becomes. If we look from the British colonial era,...
Pawan Sakkarwal
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I wrote about inclusive identity below
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/yashp2411_i-still-struggle-to-understand-what-india-activity-7394471132529246209-O8U_
I still struggle to understand what India really is. At first glance, this seems like a simple question. But the deeper I think about it — through history, politics, and identity — the more… | Yash Pratap | 31 comments
I still struggle to understand what India really is. At first glance, this seems like a simple question. But the deeper I think about it — through history, politics, and identity — the more complex it becomes. If we look from the British colonial era,...
Taniya Andola
• 1st
Nothing comes with these packages of gender, religion and caste.
Equality among all gender equal access to infrastructure, education etc.
We always talk about men, women and forget about other genders.
They did not have basic acceptance in our so called society.
Yash Pratap
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Taniya Andola
• 1st
Anoushka Sharma • 1st
Yash Pratap
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Anoushka Sharma • 1st
Sanket Sheth • 1st
Yash Pratap
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https://www.linkedin.com/posts/yashp2411_i-still-struggle-to-understand-what-india-activity-7394471132529246209-O8U_
I still struggle to understand what India really is. At first glance, this seems like a simple question. But the deeper I think about it — through history, politics, and identity — the more… | Yash Pratap | 31 comments
I still struggle to understand what India really is. At first glance, this seems like a simple question. But the deeper I think about it — through history, politics, and identity — the more complex it becomes. If we look from the British colonial era,...
Vivek Chaurasia • 1st
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Kriti Pushkarna • 2nd
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